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Structural Insights into Selective Ligand-Receptor Interactions Leading to Receptor Inactivation Utilizing Selective Melanocortin 3 Receptor Antagonists Minying Cai, Udaya Kiran Marelli, Blake Mertz, Johannes G Beck, Florian Opperer, Florian Rechenmacher, Horst Kessler, and Victor J. Hruby Biochemistry, Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00407 • Publication Date (Web): 17 Jul 2017 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on August 1, 2017

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Biochemistry

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Structural Insights into Selective Ligand-Receptor Interactions Leading to Receptor Inactivation Utilizing Selective Melanocortin 3 Receptor Antagonists Minying Cai, *1‡ Udaya Kiran Marelli,3‡ Blake Mertz,2‡ Johannes G. Beck,3 Florian Opperer,3Florian Rechenmacher,3 Horst Kessler,3 Victor J. Hruby 1 1) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, U.S.A. 2)C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, U.S.A. 3) Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, 85747 Garching, Germany.

KEYWORDS N-Methylation, MTII, SHU9119, human melanocortin receptors (hMCRs), selective melanotropins, agonist, antagonists, steric constraints, β –turn.

ABSTRACT:

Systematic N-methylated derivatives of the melanocortin receptor ligand,

SHU9119, lead to multiple binding and functional selectivity towards melanocortin receptors. However, the relationship between N-methylation-induced conformational changes in the peptide backbone and side chains and melanocortin receptor selectivity is still unknown. We conducted comprehensive conformational studies in solution of two selective antagonists of the third isoform of the melanocortin receptor (hMC3R), namely, Ac-Nle-c[Asp-NMe-His6-D-Nal(2′)7-NMe-Arg81

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Trp9-Lys]-NH2 (15) and Ac-Nle-c[Asp-His6-D-Nal(2′)7-NMe-Arg8-NMe-Trp9-NMe-Lys]-NH2 (17). It is known that the pharmacophore (His6-DNal7-Arg8-Trp9) of the SHU-9119 peptides occupies a β II-turn like region with the turn centered about DNal7-Arg8. The analogues with hMC3R selectivity showed distinct differences in the spatial arrangement of the Trp9 side chains. In addition to our NMR studies, we also carried out molecular-level interaction studies of these two peptides at the homology model of hMC3R. Earlier chimeric human melanocortin 3 receptor studies revealed insights regarding the binding and functional sites of the hMC3R selectivity. Upon docking of peptides 15 and 17 to the binding pocket of hMC3R, it was revealed that Arg8 and Trp9 side chains are involved in a majority of the interactions with the receptor. While Arg8 forms polar contacts with D154 and D158 of hMC3R, Trp9 is utilizes π-π stacking interactions with F295 and F298, located on the transmembrane domain of hMC3R. It is hypothesized that as the frequency of Trp9-hMC3R interactions decrease, antagonistic activity increases. The absence of any interactions of the N-methyl groups with hMC3R suggests that their primary function is to modulate backbone conformations of the ligands. INTRODUCTION The melanocortin system remains a challenging target for rational peptide and peptidomimetic design as the 3D-topographical requirements for specific melanocortin receptor subtype recognition and activation have not been fully elucidated.1, 2 Nevertheless, the numerous physiological functions of the five known subtypes of human melanocortin receptors (hMC1-5R), including skin pigmentation,3, 4 5, 6control of the immune system,7, 8 erectile function,9 blood pressure and heart rate,10, 11 control of feeding behavior and energy homeostasis,3, 12-16 modulation of aggressive/defensive behavior,17, 18 mediation of pain19-23 and control of neurodegenerative diseases, pro-

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vide a strong stimulus for development of potent and selective melanocortin agonists and antagonists. On the other hand, development of selective ligands to melanocortin receptors bears intrinsic challenges due to conserved amino acid sequences and their structural similarity contained in the 7 transmembrane fold of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).24 Unlike other GPCRs, the human melanocortin system utilizes both endogenous natural agonists (MSHs, including α-MSH, β-MSH, γ-MSH)25 and antagonist (AGRP) molecules for functional regulation.26, 27 Interestingly, the primary core sequence of MSHs (His-Phe-Arg-Trp-) and AGRP (-Phe-Phe-Asn-Phe-) are different.28 This aspect of different activity suggests that the structural differences of melanocortin ligands facilitate selectivity to receptor subtype in addition to functioning as an agonist (MSH) or antagonist (AGRP). Studies on chimeric hMCRs revealed that the binding of NDP-α-MSH to hMC4R is controlled by conserved amino acids with the protein.2932

However, the binding interactions of hMC4R with the small molecule, THIQ are different: both

conserved amino acids and non-conserved amino acids of hMC4R are involved in the binding complex.32 Furthermore, follow up studies demonstrated that peptide agonists and small molecular agonists activate different downstream signaling pathways.33-36 These discoveries imply that peptide agonists which mimic the natural endogenous peptide ligand will subsequently mimic more closely the natural signaling pathways, thus avoiding potential side effects associated with pharmaceutical applications. In this regard, the study of peptide interactions with hMCRs is of critical importance to identify selective ligand-receptor binding and activation. Previous studies utilized multiple N-methylations of α-MSH Ac-Nle-c[Asp5, D-Nal(2’)7, Lys10]-α-MSH-NH2 (SHU9119) to identify ligands of all subtypes of selective melanotropins.37 To further develop our fundamental understanding of receptor-ligand interactions that contribute to receptor selectivity and activation, we performed comprehensive conformational studies of two 3


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Biochemistry

peptides selective for hMC3R. These two peptides are N-methylated derivatives of SHU9119, (AcNle-c[Asp-NMe-His6-D-Nal(2′)7-NMe-Arg8-Trp9-Lys]-NH2

(15)

and

Ac-Nle-c[Asp-His6-D-

Nal(2′)7-NMe-Arg8-NMe-Trp9-NMe-Lys]-NH2 (17)). (Peptide numbering is based on our previous work.

37

In addition, earlier studies on chimeric receptors of hMC3R identified six amino acids,

important to NDP-α-MSH-hMC3R binding and activation (E131, D154, D158, L165, F295/F296, and H298) (Figure 1);38 these residues will be used to guide our study of selective ligand-receptor interactions by molecular docking. Although the two peptide ligands have slightly different potency for hMC3R, the interaction sites are similar. Our systematic study of selective ligand-receptor interactions reveals the critical binding and activation sites of the hMC3R. This study will enhance rational drug design and discovery in the future for hMC3R and melanocortin receptors in general.

Figure 1. Model for receptor-ligand complexation in hMC3R activation. Two-dimensional representation of a proposed three-dimensional model illustrating the synthetic melanocortin NDP-αMSH bound to hMC3R. Two major receptor binding sites are hypothesized, with the first being a predominantly ionic pocket formed by D154 and D158, and the second a hydrophobic pocket formed by aromatic residues in TM6. 29-32 EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Peptide Synthesis and Characterization

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The synthesis, structural characterization and pharmacological activity profiles have been previous published.37 NMR Conformational Studies NMR Spectroscopic Studies: For NMR spectroscopic studies, approximately 1.5 to 2 mg of the compound was dissolved in 125 l of DMSO-d6. The required NMR spectra were recorded at 300K on a Bruker 500 MHz spectrometer equipped with a TXI cryoprobe. 1H-1D, TOCSY, ROESY, HSQC, and HMBC NMR experiments were acquired for each sample. 1H-selective homonuclear decoupling experiments were carried out to measure 3JH couplings. Furthermore, to estimate the solvent shielding or hydrogen bonding strengths of NH protons, the temperature dependency of NH chemical shifts was studied by acquiring 1H-1D spectra between 295 K and 315 K in steps of 5 K increments. Mixing times of 80 ms and 100 ms were used for TOCSY and ROESY experiments, respectively. HSQC spectra were recorded with a direct proton carbon coupling constant of 140 Hz, and HMBC spectra with a long-range 1H-13C coupling constant of 7 Hz. For HSQC spectra, a 13C composite pulse decoupling was utilized. 8k (except HSQC: 1k) data points were recorded in the direct dimension, 384 and 512 (heteronuclear spectra) in the indirect dimension. For all spectra a 1.5 s relaxation delay was used after every transient. Exponential / square sine window functions were used for spectra apodization. Proton-proton internuclear distances for structure calculation: ROE cross peaks in corresponding ROESY spectra recorded in various solvents were integrated by using the box method in SPARKY software. These integrated volumes of ROE cross peaks were converted to proton-proton internuclear distances by linear approximation method. Thus calculated distances were then relaxed by 10 to generate upper and lower distance bounds to account for experimental and simulation uncertainties. 5


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Distance Geometry (DG) Calculations: Metric matrix DG calculations were carried out with a home-written distance geometry program utilizing random metrization. The above calculated experimental distance restraints which are more restrictive than the geometric distance bounds (holonomic restraints) were used to create the final distance matrix. 50 structures were calculated for each system. The structures were then verified and checked for violations if any with respect to the given experimental distance restraint inputs. The structures that best satisfied the distance inputs were then taken forward for MD simulations. Molecular Dynamics Studies: All MD simulations were carried out with GROMACS version 4.0.5.51 The above DG structures served as starting conformations for the MD runs. The charmm27 all atom force field was utilized for parameterization of the cyclic pentapeptide and all solvent molecules. The DG structures were first energy minimized in vacuo, then placed in truncated octahedral boxes with a minimum distance of 2.1 nm between solute atoms and the box walls. After the boxes were filled with solvent molecules, the systems were equilibrated with respect to temperature and pressure in subsequent steps, which are independently performed at increasing temperatures from 50 K to 300 K in 50 K steps. A triple-range cutoff for Coulomb interactions including a reaction-field was used (0.8 and 1.4 nm). Van der Waals interactions were calculated with a short-range cutoff of 0.8 nm and a long-range cutoff of 1.4 nm. An atom pair-list was used with a cutoff of 0.8 nm and was updated each five integration steps. All bonds were constrained with the SHAKE algorithm.39 The integration time step was 2 fs. Each of the equilibration steps from 50 K to 250 K had a run time of 50k ps and 0.5 ns for those at 300 K. The MD runs had a length of 2 ns. The output trajectories were then analyzed for internuclear distances and compared with the experimental data.

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Homology model: Chain R of the crystal structure of the activated β2-adrenergic receptor (PDB ID 3SN6) was used as the template for secondary structural alignment in constructing the multiple sequence alignment (MSA). Seven other GPCR crystal structure sequences were included in the MSA (β1-adrenergic receptors 2VT4 and 2Y00, A2A receptors 2YDV, 3EML, and 3PWH, and β2adrenergic receptors 3KJ6 and 3P0G). In addition to the sequence from Homo sapiens (RefSeq ID NP_063941), MC3R sequences (AFH58736, AAI62747, AFH58735, NP_032587, ACK98821, AFH58734, NP_001020441, AAS66720, AFK25142, ACK98822) from ten other organisms were used. ClustalX40 was used to generate the initial MSA, and manual alignment to the most highly conserved residue in each transmembrane helix (1.50: Asn93; 2.50: Asp121; 3.50: Arg179; 4.50: Trp206; 5.50: Met236; 6.50: Pro294; 7.50: Pro333, hMC3R numbering) was carried out in SeaView.41 3SN6 was also chosen as the template structure for homology model construction. MODELLER42 was used to generate a set of ten hMC3R models. The model that retained α-helical structure for all transmembrane helices, as well as the characteristic outward helical tilt and rotation in TM5 and TM6 of activated GPCRs, was selected for further loop refinement. All extracellular loops were simultaneously optimized using MODELLER, and the model chosen for docking studies had all extracellular loops pulled away from the active site. This was chosen because previous studies had shown that extracellular loops had no effect on ligand binding to hMC3R.43 Cytoplasmic loops were not optimized due to the fact that they are distal from the binding pocket, the focus of our study. Ligand construction: The 2-D MTII structure was obtained in .sdf format from PubChem and converted to three-dimensions and minimized in Avogadro.44 SHU9119, peptide 15, and peptide 17 structures were obtained based on NMR data obtained above and from previous work.37, 45

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Docking protocol: Receptors and ligands were prepared for docking runs using the AutoDockTools4 (ADT) graphical user interface.46 ADT was used to add hydrogen atoms, assign partial charges and atom types, and merge non-polar hydrogen atoms into their respective heavy-atom bonded partners for the hMC3R homology model. Default settings were used to define rotatable bonds in each of the ligands to allow flexibility. The AutoDock/Vina plugin for PyMOL47 was used to set parameters for the docking search space, which was a cube 33.75 Å in each direction, centered on the hMC3R binding pocket. AutodDock Vina48 was used to perform molecular docking of ligands into the hMC3R binding pocket. Default settings were used, unless otherwise specified. Each Vina run produced nine clusters, and each ligand was run twice, for a total of eighteen clusters per ligand. Results were visualized in PyMOL using the AutoDock/Vina plugin and analyzed for protein-ligand contacts with python scripts. AutoDock446 was used to calculate the binding energy and inhibition constants of each cluster from Vina. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION NMR Conformational Studies NMR studies for the two peptides 15 and 17 in solution have been calculated by using the distance geometry (DG)49 program with NOE-derived distances and 3JH-coupling constant supported dihedral angles as structural restraints. In addition, the obtained structures were further analyzed by free or restrained (using the above derived NMR restraints) simulated annealing molecular dynamics (MD) calculations in GROMACS,50-52 using the DG-derived NMR structure as the starting conformation. The analysis resulted in a preferred backbone conformation (Figure 2) for each of the peptides, exempting the side chain cyclized region consisting of the Lys10-Asp4 residues.

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Figure 2. NMR structures of hMC3R peptides 15 and 17. Stereo views of the NMR structure of peptides 15 (a, pink); 17 (b, green) and the overlay of the β-turn like His6-nal7-Arg8-Trp9 region from peptides 15 and 17 (c). Ribbons along backbones highlight secondary structural features. For clarity, non-polar hydrogens in (a) and (b), whereas all the hydrogens and main chain in (c) are not shown. The final structures for both the peptides presented a trans configuration for all the peptide bonds (Figure 2). The majority of NHs in both peptides have temperature coefficients (/T; calculated for the backbone NHs over a temperature range of 295 K to 315 K, (Supporting Table 6) < 3.0 ppb/K in both the peptides, indicating solvent accessibility and that the NHs are not involved in strong intramolecular hydrogen bonding. For a comparative analysis of the conformations of 15, 17 9


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and the parent peptides MTII and SHU9119, the (,) dihedral space of all these peptides are represented as Ramachandran plots53 (Figure 3, Table 1). Exempting the -Nle4, -Nle4, and Asp5 which are external to the cyclic core of the peptides, the (,) dihedral space for the cyclic region have mostly occupied the (, quadrant) of the Ramachandran plot, corresponding to the βsheet population. The (,) angles for nal7 residues fall in (, quadrant) diagonally opposite to the (, quadrant), which is meaningful considering its opposite stereo configuration. Although the (,) distribution for basic MTII and SHU9119 peptides is more centered in the β-sheet region, a downward shift of the overall distribution towards the overlapping β-sheet and α-helical regions is observed for 15 and 17. None of the sequential (,) pattern matched perfectly with any of the standard β-turn types.53 However, the dihedral angles (,) = (78.7, 51.9) for His6 in peptide 17 are characteristic of an inverted -turn centered around it, which facilitates nal7-NH-Asp5-CO hydrogen bonding. In support of this, a temperature coefficient of 3.0 ppb/K for nal7-NH signifies a relatively lower solvent accessibility compared to all other NHs and a probable participation in moderate hydrogen bonding. In contrast, this specific -turn structure is disrupted in 15 as evidenced from the (,) = (119.5, 36.4) about His6. This might be due to the N-methylation of the His6NH which introduces a steric restriction to the peptide backbone and prevents an orientation of the Asp5-His6 peptide bond that would normally be appropriate for nal7-NH-Asp5-CO hydrogen bonding. The temperature coefficient (4.2 ppb/K) is in agreement for nal7-NH in 15, proving its higher solvent accessibility in comparison to the corresponding nal7-NH in 17.

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Table 1. The (,) dihedral angles at each of the constituent amino acids as measured from the NMR structures of the following peptides. Nle4

Asp5

His6

D-Phe7/nal7

Arg8

Φ

Ψ

Φ

Trp9

Lys10

Compound Φ

Ψ

Φ

Ψ

Φ

Peptide 15

-85.7

122.3

-78.1

113.1

-119.5 36.4

103.4

-84.9

Peptide 17

152.9

52.1

96.3

164.4

-78.7

51.9

104.1

-155.0 -107.4 88.9

-144.0 51.7

-169.5 69.3

MTII*

-111.0 131.0

-85.0

113.0

-108

109.0

84.0

0.0

-122.0 90.0

-77.0

108.0

-101.0 103.0

SHU9119*

-109.0 163.0

-155.0 179.0

-90.0

49.0

82.0

-6.0

-99.0

-79.0

111.0

-90.0

MTII(NMe)#

-101.0 109.1

71.4

-97.8

78.4

96.1

-125.9 -135.2 80.4

143.7

Ψ

Ψ

-112.8 28.4

117.0

Φ

Ψ

Φ

Ψ

-90.3

6.5

-69.2

-52.8

-119.8 62.6

-68.0

-113.7 0.4

45

* Structural data published in earlier work. # MTII(NMe): N-methylated MTII, Ac-Nle-c[Asp-NMe His-DPhe- NMe Arg-NMe Trp-NMeLys]-NH2. Data published in previous work,54 corresponding to peptide 28.

Figure 3. Backbone conformations of peptides 15 and 17 are largely consistent with hMC3R ligands MTII and SHU9119, with a few notable differences. Ramachandran plots that represent the (,) dihedral space of constituent amino acids and corresponding secondary structural information, generated for (a) peptides 15 and 17 based on their NMR structures and (b) for peptides MTII and SHU9119. (c) Graph showing the site-specific variations in the dihedral space. The amino acid stretch His6-nal7-Arg8-Trp9 forms a β-turn like structure (rather than a loop which usually requires more amino acids) in both the peptides with a turn on nal7-Arg8. The turn residues are flanked by His6 and Trp9 amino acids and are facing opposite to each other. The centering of the turn at nal7-Arg8 can be explained by the conformational preference in general of consecutively located D-configured nal7 and N-methylated Arg8 amino acids. The corresponding dihedral space for the turn region in both peptides (Table 1) has a sign consistent with that of a type II' β turn observed for D-Pro-L-Pro [(i+1,i+1,i+2,i+2) = (60°, 120°, 80°, 0)], but deviates in 11


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magnitude.38, 40 The distance between Cα atoms of His6 and Trp9 (6.12 Å and 7.17 Å, respectively in 15 and 17) is in agreement with the general definition of turns, providing further support for the validity of these structures.55, 56 In both peptides, the backbone region opposite to the nal7-Arg8 is comprised of the side chains of Asp5-Lys10 which are linked via side chain cyclization. Despite the linkage occurring between sidechains, the distance between Cα atoms of Asp5 and Lys10 is 6.14 Å and 7.56 Å in 15 and 17, similar to the distance between Cα atoms of His6 and Trp9. This suggests the propagation of nal7-Arg8 into an anti-parallel β-sheet structure along the His6 to Asp5 and Trp9 to Lys10 on either side. However, the shorter residue-residue distance (~6 Å) in 15 compared to 17 (~7 Å) implies the constrained nature of the former structure. This increase in Cα separation in 17 also implies lengthen increase in overall size of the peptide. Most likely this increase in size stems from the steric restrictions imposed by the three consecutive N-methyl groups on Arg8, Trp9 and Lys10 of 17. The orientation of NMe in Arg8 is fixed by the conformational pre-organization of the turn forming nal7-Arg8 moiety, whereas the arrangement of NMe of Trp9 into the cyclic core is necessitated both by the turn and the steric requirements from the NMe of Lys10. The absence of NMe on Trp9 for 15 therefore results in a narrower structure. It is interesting to note the interplay of aromatic and van der Waals interactions in the nal7-Arg8-Trp9 segment of 17. A long range π-π stacking interaction between the naphthyl group of nal7 and the indole ring of Trp9 is directly evidenced by the strikingly very low chemical shift (1.99 ppm) for the NMe on Arg8, which is directly sandwiched between the two aromatic groups. The observed chemical shift is so distinct that it is at least 0.7 ppm upfield of all other NMe in both peptides. In contrast, a normal chemical shift value of 2.87 ppm for NMe of Arg8 in 15 implies the absence of such aromatic interactions as well as differences of orientation of the corresponding side chains. The overall twist in the backbone conformation of the two peptides leading to a completely different arrangement of functional side 12


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chains can be noted from the secondary structure representation in Figure 2c. Finally, comparison of backbone conformations for peptides 15 and 17 with the parent peptides MTII and SHU9119 reveal striking differences between the Ψ angles of nal7 and Trp9 (Table 1). Molecular dynamics studies The structures were further validated with MD simulations. Though the MD calculations without any restraints have been sufficient to further validate the DG structure for 17, 15 required usage of distance restraints within the cyclic region, which we speculate to be necessitated by the more constrained bent structure of 15. Analysis of the MD trajectories for inter-proton distances (in Å, Supporting Tables 8 and 9) show good agreement with those calculated based on NOE data except for the distances between protons in the N-methyl groups, the indole NH of Trp8 or the Nle4-NH. For all unviolated cases, the mean value for each inter-proton distance within ± 10% of the corresponding distance calculated from NMR and used in DG. The observed violations in specific cases are attributed to the presence of Nle4-NH in a conformationally flexible region and the exchanging nature of the indole NH of Trp9. The stability of the backbone conformations for both peptides is further illustrated by the conserved dihedral angle distribution in the respective MD studies (Supporting Figures 2-5), which are within ±30° of the dihedral angles measured from the corresponding DG structures. However, as expected, variation in the distribution is observed for the side chain cyclized region. The χ1 rotamer populations for the side chain conformations of all the amino acids were analyzed from the MD simulations. They were also experimentally determined based on the homonuclear 3JHα-Hβ, and heteronuclear couplings 3JC′-Hβ1,2 and NOE data of the stereospecifically assigned β -protons, wherever possible (see Supporting Information).41, 42 The absence of low 3JHα-Hβ

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coupling constants and their sum >13 Hz in each of the amino acids suggests a complete predominance of χ1 = +60° conformation for L-amino acids and χ1 = 60° conformation for D-amino acids. The discrete 3JHα-Hβ values (but without an extreme difference of 9 Hz) observed for each residue is therefore a result of a mix of populations: mostly χ1 = 60° (χ1 = +60° for D-amino acids) along with χ1 = 180°., This result is also corroborated by our MD simulations. For Asp5, the NMR data imply χ1 = 180° and χ1 = 60° as the most predominant conformations in 15 (JH-Hpro-R = 4.9 Hz, JH-Hpro-S = 10.2 Hz) and 17 (JH-Hpro-R = 9.1 Hz, JH-Hpro-S = 5.1 Hz), respectively, and this result is also reproduced by the MD simulations. This distinct χ1 distribution for Asp5 in 15 and 17 may stem from the conformational requirements of the cyclical peptidic core, as Asp5 forms an integral part of the cyclic core via side chain cyclization with the Lys10 side chain. NMR data for nal7 (with larger JH-Hpro-S = 9.0 Hz and 8.7 Hz coupling constants in 15 and 17, respectively) predicts χ1 = 60° as the major conformation in both peptides. Although the MD simulations show a similar population distribution in 15, a higher population of χ1 = 180° exists for 17. Lys10 in 15 exhibits a dynamical nature with almost equally populated χ1 rotamers in contrast to that in 17, with a strong preference for χ1 = 60°. These varying conformations for peptides 15 and 17 demonstrate the conformational modulation in the SHU9119 backbone generated by N-methylation and are the key to differential interactions with melanocortin receptor subtypes and corresponding activity responses. Docking studies of peptide 15 and peptide 17 To understand the implications of the structural dissimilarities of 15 and 17 on their interactions with hMC3R, we performed docking simulations of MTII, SHU9119, and peptides 15 and 17 into our homology model of hMC3R. The docking studies showed a good overall agreement 14


Biochemistry

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with hMC3R mutation studies, a previous study from Chen et al. which identified several residues in hMC3R that directly affect agonist/antagonist binding and receptor activity.

38

Of the residues

identified, all but two (D121 and D332) are proximal to the hMC3R binding pocket in our homology model. All clusters (total 18) for each ligand were analyzed to detect contacts within 4.0 Å of the mutated amino acids (Figure 4). Each ligand interacts with D154 and D158, consistent with the study by Chen et al., which showed that the mutation of D154 or D158 leads to dramatically decreased binding affinity and receptor signaling. 38 Our docking results also show that D154/D158 have the highest contacts with all four peptides (MTII, SHU9119, peptide 15, peptide 17) and indicate that D154/D158 are critical for ligand binding to hMC3R. In the majority of cases, H298 was not in close contact with ligands, which is in contrast to the results of Chen et al. However, slight differences have also been seen between binding of MTII and the SHU9119 N-methylated compounds: F295 was in contact with MTII in over 80% of the clusters, whereas less than 60% of SHU9119 and peptide 17 clusters, and about 20% of peptide 15 clusters are in close proximity to F295, indicating that F295 is important for hMC3R agonist activity. These results agree with the binding affinities of MTII, SHU9119, peptide 17 and peptide 15 with 2nM, 3.7nM, 9.7nM and 15nM, respectively, to hMC3R. In addition, E131 did not play a significant role in MTII binding (about 35% contact rate) but is observed to be in contact with more than half the clusters of the SHU ligands indicating that E131 is important for the antagonist activities of SHU9119 and peptides 15 and 17.

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Biochemistry

Figure 4. Docked ligands interact with hMC3R residues that are crucial for ligand binding and activity. (a) Contact probability (calculated as percentage of docking clusters with ligand atoms within 4.0 Å of specified hMC3R residue) of MTII to interact with functionally important residues in hMC3R. (b) Contact probability of SHU9119 with residues in hMC3R. (c) Contact probability for peptide 15. (d) Contact probability for peptide 17. Another important aspect from the Chen et al. study is the identification of amino acid residues in the cyclic peptide ligands that were most responsible for binding and activity, showing that the -D-Phe7-Arg8-Trp9- tripeptide was the smallest fragment that could still bind and activate hMC3R.

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Each ligand tested confirms this result; D-Phe7 (or nal in the case of SHU9119 and

peptides 15 and 17), Arg8, and Trp9 are the residues with the highest average number of contacts (total number of interactions within 4.0 Å between ligand atoms and any atom in hMC3R, averaged over eighteen clusters) (Figure 5). Slight differences exist among the ligands, as Arg8 has the most ligand-receptor contacts for MTII, peptide 17, and peptide 15, whereas nal7 has the highest number of contacts for SHU9119. In addition, Trp9 has very high contacts (>40) with hMC3R for SHU9119, peptide 15 and 17 but not for MT-II, indicating that Trp9 plays an important role in antagonist activity of hMC3R.

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Figure 5. N-methylation modulates localized effectiveness of binding in SHU9119 analogues. (a) Per-residue number of contacts between MTII and hMC3R in docking studies. Average number of contacts is defined as total number of interactions within 4.0 Å between ligand atoms and any atom in hMC3R averaged over eighteen docking clusters. Residue seven is DPhe in MTII (a) and DNal in peptide 15 (c). (b) Per-residue number of contacts between SHU9119 and hMC3R. (c) Perresidue number of contacts between peptide 15 and hMC3R. (d) Per-residue number of contacts between peptide 17 and hMC3R. From our docking studies it is clear that polar and aromatic interactions play an important role in ligand binding to hMC3R. Inspection of individual ligand-receptor complexes reveals subtle differences for MTII, SHU9119, and peptides 15 and 17. The best docked complex for the agonist MTII (nM binding affinity (Ki)), forms polar contacts with D154 and D158 through the side chains of Arg8 (Figure 6a). In addition, polar contacts are formed between Q151 and Arg8 and between D158 and the backbone of D-Phe7. π-π stacking, which stabilizes interactions between aromatic amino acid side chains, 57 is also present in the MTII-hMC3R complex. D-Phe7 inserts itself most deeply into the hMC3R binding pocket, forming T-shaped stacking with the aromatic side chains of F295, F296, and F318 on TM6 and TM7. In contrast, the antagonist, SHU9119 (nM Ki) is rotated within the hMC3R binding pocket. Polar interactions with D154 and D158 are still present, but are 17


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Biochemistry

with Asp5 and Arg8, respectively (Figure 6b). An additional polar contact exists between the carbonyl group of the I217 backbone and the terminal amino group of SHU9119. No penetration into the deepest part of the binding pocket is present with SHU9119, but a T-shaped stacking interaction is formed between nal7-F318-Trp9. Another possible T-shaped interaction could be formed between nal7 and either Y310 or Y314, which are located in the extracellular loop 3 (EL3), but verification has been limited by the AutoDockVina models which require a rigid protein backbone for hMC3R. Peptides 17 and 15, the methylated analogues of SHU9119, share some of the characteristic non-bonded interactions present for both MTII and SHU9119 binding to hMC3R. Peptide 17 forms an extensive network of polar contacts with Q151, D154, and D158 through its Arg8 side chain (Figure 6c). Additionally, there are also polar contacts existing on that side of the hMC3R binding pocket between the backbone of Asp5 and the side chains of D154 and D158, as well as between the N-terminal carbonyl and the side chain of E131. Similar to MTII, peptide 17 also wedges the nal7 residue into the deepest part of the binding pocket, forming T-shaped stacking interactions with F295 and F296. However, Trp9 has stacking interactions with F318, similar to SHU9119. Again, Y310 and Y314 could potentially form stacking interactions with Trp9, but they lie just outside the 5 Å range typical of π-π stacking.

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Figure 6. Polar and π-π interactions stabilize binding of ligands to hMC3R binding pocket. (a) Snapshot of lowest-energy binding complex between MTII and hMC3R. (b) Snapshot of lowestenergy binding complex between SHU9119 and hMC3R. (c) Snapshot of lowest-energy binding complex between peptide 17 and hMC3R. (d) Snapshot of lowest-energy binding complex between peptide 15 and hMC3R. Sticks: docked ligands; ball and sticks: hMC3R amino acid residues; dashes: non-bonded interactions between ligand and receptor

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